The Vagabond Chronicles

Great weekend all round!

Friday: Al’s flight into Ontario was delayed an hour. Gave me time to rest and more importantly, do dishes. Nothing is worse than coming home to a sink full of dishes with new life forms emerging. I loaded the pickup with the turntables, mixers, table, 4 crates of records and the appropraite wedding garb. I wasn’t on the 10 for 15 minutes when traffic came to a 10mph crawl for the next hour. Alan landed, I was still making my way. At the first Ontario International sign, I gave Alan a ring and would there in a few minutes. If it were only that easy. The offramp to the airport was shutdown, meaning that I would have to drive around unfamiliar surface streets. Luckily, it only added a few minutes of travel time.

Picked up Alan, and started the drive to Twentynine Palms. We decided to stop for food since we weren’t going to get there until 11pm, and neither one of us had eaten anything that evening. We stopped at the first Del Taco and grabbed a quick bite. Then we passed four more Del Taco’s on the way and a multitude of other fast food options. Not sure why Del Taco is important to the weekend events, but none the less, you are up-to-date on the events.

A quick-in and we unloaded the truck. It was a clear, warm night with a level of quiet that would be difficult to match. We hungout outside and started to get our drink on while we waited for the rest of the guests to return from dinner. As we waited, we heard a car pull up next to our adobe bungalow, and thought we recgonized voices. It was dark even though a waxing full moon lit the sky and midnight when we approached our neighbors. Well, we didn’t recgonize one another. The couple thought that they were about to get attacked. After we startled the neighbors, we returned to our holding pattern. Turned out to the be the groom’s brother and girlfriend, but we wouldn’t find out to later in the weekend.

After a little wait, the rest of the party returned. We all gathered into one of the houses at the inn and threw back a f ew drinks and started to get caught up with everyone. It would be the first time that we have seen many of our friends in a long time.

Saturday: Slept in. I haven’t slept that soundly in years. A late wakeup, some lunch poolside and more great conversations with old friends. Met the sound guy at 1pm to setup the turntables for the reception and located the house for the post-party. This meant that I would be moving everything, after a few drinks to another location in the middle of the night. The ceremony was great. The wedding colors were pink and grass green, and the guest dressed approprately. It was one of the more relaxed and fun weddings that I have had the pleasure to attend. Needless to saw, we partied well into the night which culminated with a fantastic set by our friend Rick Preston. Once I get some pictures, I will detail some more of the wedding.

Sunday: Another late wakeup. Watched the 49′ers get crushed - well I gave up after the first quarter. Loaded the turntables and gear back into the truck for the last time. Checked out and had brunch poolside with my friends. Watched a rather entertaining water-aerobics class while I ate breakfast. I didn’t stay long, for I hate good-byes. Alan would catch a ride to the airport, so I decided to explore Joshua Tree National Park.

JTNP was beautiful. I was there midday and the light was bright and harsh so I didn’t try to take any pictures. I found a jeep trail on the map and decided to take it. Loads of fun! I had to go easy since I was alone and loaded up with equipment. Everything was well packed and nothing really moved. The trail was mostly a dusty, unpaved road. There were a couple of spots that were exceptionally bumpy. I highly recommend the Geology Tour Road. You can gain access inside the park and do the loop. If you feel adventurous, the Berdoo Canyon Road that exists the park is fun as well, a little more technical in some spots, but still easily navigated. I may return this weekend to hit some of the other trails in the park.

Returned in the evening after dropping off some records and a mixer to Henry. I wasn’t quite ready for LA traffic and noise, but I am back and that’s life. Mike and Whit are off to Mexico, and I am back in the cube. Thanks for a great weekend and great seeing everyone!